Treating Running Injuries

I had a friend who was a physical therapist and liked to hang out with runners because they get injured so often.

When I was in law school a professor asked when does a problem become a legal issue? After many attempts to coax the answer from the class using the Socratic method, he finally had to suggest the answer. “A problem becomes a legal issue when a lawyer is asked to solve it. The same question brought to a psychiatrist is a psychiatric problem. If it’s asked of an architect it requires an architectural solution.

Think about that next time you have a running injury that needs medical treatment. If you consult a surgeon, they’ll recommend surgery. If a medical doctor who doesn’t practice surgery is selected, she’ll write a prescription for drugs. Take that same problem to a physical therapist and the solution is likely to be stretching and strengthening exercises. Take it to an acupuncturist and what do you think will be offered as treatment?

Next time a running injury requires medical treatment it might be wise to first take it to the least invasive practitioner who in your opinion has a reasonable chance of resolving the issue.